For MacOSX, we recommend installing MacTeX,
which contains all of TeX Live (and a few Mac-specific additions).

Cygwin users can follow the instructions for Unix-like systems, but
make sure you have the Cygwin prerequisites
before beginning the installation.

Pre-install: download, cleanup

A separate page describes various ways to
acquire the software. It boils down to either getting the DVD from
a TeX user group (ideally by becoming a member), or downloading in various
ways. Except on Windows, your system must provide a standard Perl
installation with the usual core modules. (For Windows, TeX Live comes
with its own Perl.)

If you're re-installing after a previous attempt, be sure to
completely remove your failed installation. By default, this would be
in these two directories (on Unix-like systems):

rm -rf /usr/local/texlive/2016
rm -rf ~/.texlive2016

Running the installer

You do not need to be root (administrator on Windows) to install,
use, or manage TeX Live. Indeed, we recommend installing it as a normal
user, except perhaps on MacOSX, where it's conventional to install as
administrator. (Some information
about shared installations.) Of course, you need to have permission
to write into the destination directory, but TeX Live itself does not
care if you are root or not.

So, once you have the software, run the install-tl script to install (on Windows,
install-tl-windows), like this:

To change the installation directories or other options, read the
prompts and instructions. The default is to install into parallel
directories named by the release year, so that any given release can be
run independently, merely by adjusting the search path.

Interfaces to the installer: text, GUI, batch

install-tl -gui wizard uses a maximally
simplified GUI installation asking only the minimal questions. This is
the default on Windows.

install-tl -gui perltk uses an advanced/expert
GUI installation with many options; requires Perl/Tk. On Windows, you can also invoke
this as install-tl-advanced.bat.

install-tl --profile=profile
does a batch (unattended) installation. To create such a profile file,
it's easiest to start with the tlpkg/texlive.profile file which
the installer writes at the end of any successful installation.

Choosing a download host

It can take an hour or more to copy all the files, depending on the
installation method. If you are downloading over the network, by
default a nearby CTAN mirror is
automatically chosen. If you have problems, it is good to choose
a specific mirror and then run
install-tl --location http://mirror.example.org/ctan/path/systems/texlive/tlnet
instead of relying on the automatic redirection.

Post-install: setting PATH

After the installation finishes, you must add the directory of TeX
Live binaries to your PATH—except on Windows, where the installer
takes care of this. For example:
PATH=/usr/local/texlive/2016/bin/i386-linux:$PATHUse the syntax for your shell, your installation directory, and your
binary platform name instead of i386-linux.

If you have multiple TeX installations on a given machine, you need
to change the search path to switch between them. (Except on MacOSX.)

Post-install: setting the default paper size

The default is to configure the programs for the A4 paper size. To
make the default be 8.5x11 letter-size paper, you can use the
‘o’ menu option before i(nstalling), or run
tlmgr paper letter after installation (and after
setting your PATH).

Getting updates

If you want to update packages from CTAN after installation, see
these examples of using tlmgr.
This is not required, or even necessarily recommended; it's up to you to
decide if it makes sense in your particular situation.

Typically the main binaries are not updated in TeX Live between major
releases. If you want to get updates for LuaTeX and other packages and
programs that aren't officially released yet, they may be available in
TLContrib, or you may need
to compile the sources yourself.